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When a child actress is called a vile name by an long-running satire site, a beautiful young singer is labeled a stoner for wearing dreadlocks and a phenomenal 13-year old-female athlete is called a slut, they deserve more than a canned, robotic mea culpa.

It feels like Hollywood is finally starting to get what so many of us knew all along; audiences want to see diversity. Yet somehow, at this exciting moment of progress for the industry, Deadline Hollywood found it appropriate to publish what can only be described as a call for regression.

John's life has a lesson for us today. His struggle -- our struggle -- for a just society, for true equality and respect -- is not over. Far from it. All we have to look at is the widespread assault on the Voting Rights Act today. But like him, we cannot walk away; we cannot give up.

There's nothing to be happy about -- no feel-good takeaways -- when a middle school girl gets insulted by a man and has to speak up for him so he can continue a baseball career no one gives a fuck about. She is not supposed to be anyone's savior or protector. We need to be saving and protecting her.

Channeling the revolutionary essence of the Harlem Renaisance, Kendrick Lamar's To Pimp a Butterfly is a gripping, soul-driven melodrama that masterfully depicts the story of a courageous young man fighting through the painful process of liberating himself.

In our everyday fights to silence the racist chants of misguided college students and stifle overaggressive police who racially profile black children, we must reach the finish line. The next generation should never have to question whether their lives matter.

Despite past voting obstacles, there are compelling reasons for blacks in Ferguson to rush to barricades this time to vote. One is the prospect of a regime change. Another is they could move to dump the racket that city officials have run for years that criminalizes virtually the city entire black population. Another is there's no excuse.

The n-word has the blood of thousands of lynchings, beatings, and other horrific crimes melded between its letters, meshed in its very fibers. So, why do some white people want the right to use this abhorrent word again?

I was running errands with my youngest two children in tow when an acquaintance of ours spotted us and came over to say hello. She looked at my son, marveling over how much he had grown.
"Yes," I smiled, "He's a big boy!" She replied, "Such a cute little thug." My son is 2 years old.

While we applaud Starbucks for their effort to engage a topic that many seek to avoid, and while their efforts seem well-intentioned, we, as a national racial justice organization, with a name similar to the hashtag used in the campaign feel compelled to say: as a nation, we need more.

Funding for school policing programs has expanded and more school-based police are being armed with the same weapons cops carry on the streets. This expansion has not come with significant strings attached or proper guidelines.

With all due respect to Pastors Creflo and Taffi, instead of wasting community funds on frivolous expenses like a Gulfstream G650, maybe you should spend more time reaching out to the community in order to understand what they need, and how you can use your ministry to support them!

I have benefitted from black gay privilege throughout my career as a senior human resources, financial and diversity officer. I have accessed spaces and opportunities that "stereotypical" black men were not able to access.

Until the age of 16 swimming was something that took over my life; between two-a-day practices, traveling for competitions, and supporting teammates, my time was mostly spent in the pool or cheering right next to it.

Last week, the Presidents and Deans of America's 13 United Methodist Seminaries -- representing over 5,000 seminarians, including over 1,000 African-Americans -- wrote a thoughtful open letter outlining a vision from which all of us, whatever our faith tradition, can learn.

The unidentified man then proceeded to call his wife, who attempted to pick her husband up from the California residence, before Williams pulled up in an SUV which blocked the couples exit. The L.A. County Sheriff's Department arrived on the scene shortly after and arrested the three women for assault with a deadly weapon and Williams with intimidating a witness. His bail was set at $50,000 and he was released later that night.

Upon his release, the 'Friday After Next' star took to his Twitter account to share his thoughts on people who find themselves caught up in the law. "If you admit to crimes on social networks or post evidence #youdumbashell," he wrote.

Although Williams may have tried to make light of Saturday's incident, his growing rap sheet is no laughing matter.

In November 2009, Williams made headlines for an alleged burglary in which he was accused of taking nearly $4,000 worth of jewelry and collectible coins from a suburban Atlanta home. Just a few days after that, a 17-year-old claimed Williams held him and "threatened" to beat him up if he left a Newman, Ga. estate where Williams was staying at the time.

That same month The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that the comedian was kicked out of his rented penthouse suite in Atlanta's Four Seasons hotel, due to employees complaining that he was causing a disturbance among other guests.

"I haven't been here 72 hours and I'm being kicked out of the Four Seasons even though I paid up front and in cash," he said at the time during a press conference. "I don't understand. I'm at the point now where I'm standing out here with millions of dollars in movies and TV specials sold, and most of them done right here in Atlanta. And to be ceremoniously dismissed at a hotel is sad."

By: Billy Bob on 6/13/2011 7:26PM

By: Angie on 6/13/2011 7:27PM

Neutral

Oh bi, not brain dead Bill. Say it ain't so, his parents allowed him back on the pc. Wow, that month long punishment had to have really been tough on ya, Billy Bob! Welcome back to Black Voices, Americas favorite Website, those wheat folks cannot resist....LOL!

By: Roderick Haygood on 6/14/2011 5:44AM

Highest Ranked

Its ok to be funny, act stupid, and the likes.but to do real stupid crimial things,knowing that this is all the wicked "controlling" part of society needs to end another fortunate black mans careeer, should cause him to stop and look at his behavior, and change it asap, because in the end Katt will only have himself to blame. Get it together my brother. "here today and gone tomarrow" just like that!!!

By: OOOZZZZZ on 6/14/2011 7:59AM

Low Ranked

bill. Newflash.

You can't claim Dirk Nowtiski since he is a foreigner....A european....A White German and not a White American.

We all know that since Larry Bird retired from the NBA decades ago, Whites have been pining and waiting for the next "great White Hope" in the NBA but Dirk Nowtiski isn't it so you and your brethern can stop claiming him as one of yours.

And I'll bet before the NBA finals, you and probably 75% of White Americans in America didn't even know who Dirk Nowtiski was and as usual once you realized that Dirk was an NBA superstar and was that good, you and your people, as they always do, automatically started rooting for him to win against Lebron James and the Miami Heat and tried to claim him as one of yours (an honrary American) when he belongs to Germany....A German citizen with an American work visa just like any other foreign professional athlete from Mexico, Cuba or Japan.

And after the parade in Dallas, Dirk Nowtiski will leave Texas and return home to Wurtburg, Germany where he lives.

He does not live here and he does not spend the off-season here. He only works here.

When the next White "American born and bred" superstar shows up and leads his team to an NBA championship, they you can claim bragging rights.

By: Noltisy on 6/16/2011 11:25AM

By: "DimePiece" on 6/14/2011 8:30AM

Highest Ranked

I don't understand why the article doesn't say, who the 3 woman were and why they were all there, throwing rocks at Katt when he arrived at his house? The story doesn't make sense? What part did the Landscape man had in this matter? The article doesn't say, why Katt wouldn't let the Landscape's wife and himself leave? Katt didn't get physical altercations with the Landscaper? I don't care how many incidents Katt has ran in with the law, incidents like this, will never derail his career.

However, if this would have been a life or death situation or something SERIOUS that's different. I don't think that this should have been in the media at all. The media a lot of times, over Exaggerate the situation People will try anything to try to bring this man down. As Katt would say, "Pimp Down".

By: clarke on 6/14/2011 10:25AM

Neutral

Hey Dime, WHAT'S UP. I been gone for a minute but BIG CONGRATS to your kids AND YOU, girl for getting them there on their graduation. I know yall had a blowout and did it up right. So you a Katt fan huh. I have only seen that one performance he did with the "EVERY DAY IM HUS-SELL-IN" and I thought he was pretty funny. Then there was supposed to be some kind of problem with him and Steve Harvey that I never could get the story straight and I thought was a made up thing anyway. Hey Girl, Yeah we glad as hell it cooled down, but like I said I bet we gonna get roasted again in July and August, so I'm getting ready now. You know I be gettin IN & OUT fast so catch me if you can.LOLOLOL. Oh and before I go, Hey Pink I agree with you 100% but then it wouldn't take a whole lot 2 B funnier that Tracy Morgan, Hell if I commited MYSELF to it I could do that. Be BLESSED and stay SAFE everybody. PEACE.

By: CLW on 6/14/2011 2:57PM

Neutral

Aww...Bill is just happy to see a white guy stand out in basketball since Larry Bird. Why do all white men think they are superior over other races? Could it be your really insecure with the fact your genes are recessive or that the earth in more heavily populated with brown and black ethnicities. Hate stems from fear and is related to the ignorance of one self. Please Bill, create better thoughts in your psyche and stop wasting time with the output of garbage!

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